


All Because of You

by mr-im-fine (witch_lit)



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Bubble Bath, Domestic, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Recovery, bad day, palmetto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 14:15:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16599461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/witch_lit/pseuds/mr-im-fine
Summary: The day of Riko's funeral, Kevin is not okay.For the Kevineil Bingo card - "Fine. But only because it's you."





	All Because of You

**Author's Note:**

> All my other bingo fics have spawned into fully formed fics so this is all I can post for now! But! More should be coming, happy bingo! For the prompt "Fine. But only because it's you."

_Thwack._

The ball hits the wall of the court, bouncing back into Kevin’s racquet. He takes a half second to aim the ball, then throws it again.

_Thwack._

The move is somehow both ruthless and mechanical. Catch, and release.

_Thwack._

He’s been on the court for hours. Andrew had driven them over in the early morning, after Kevin had woken up in a cold sweat. His eyes had been wide and Evermore had been on his lips.

_Thwack._

_Thwack._

Neil had joined him initially, but had taken a break when Nicky had come in the afternoon with food. It had been hell and a half convincing Kevin to slow down long enough to eat a burger, but Neil had plied him with stretches and oxygen training.

_Thwack._

Neil is starting to think that Kevin’s losing his mind. At least he’s not hitting the bottle, which is what Neil had expected. A neat slip from sobriety. Today would be the day, were it to happen.

The ball hits the wall again, but it’s weak. Kevin’s been waning for some time already.

Pulling himself up from one of the gym matts he’d pulled onto the court, Neil walks over to Kevin. He’s staring at his racquet, hands balled into fists. The stress can’t be good for his hand, which still acts up more than either of them would like.

Neil pushes his hand into the space between Kevin’s face and the racquet and waves. “Hey.”

Kevin blinks, looking at Neil. There are tears in his eyes, though they’re making no move to fall.

“He didn’t deserve to die.” Kevin says, then bites down on his jaw.   
“Do you believe that?” Neil snaps, then sighs. His impatience isn’t helping Kevin.

Kevin looks down. The racquet is undamaged, but Neil can see the white in his hands. His scars are blending in to his skin. Neil reaches out, settling his hands over Kevin’s. He looks like a child in comparison, but he’s not the one who’s fragile right now. Slowly, Neil peels back Kevin’s fingers. He lets go easily, lets Neil set the racquet down and replace it with their intertwined fingers.

“I’m glad he’s dead,” Kevin says, voice hushed. His shoulders contract at the confession and he starts to curl away from Neil.

Neil puts his hand on the back of Kevin’s neck and pulls him down. Kevin’s arms wrap around his waist, and he lets Kevin shudder against him. He runs his fingers through Kevin’s hair, which is slightly damp from sweat. He lets Kevin take from him what he needs.

When Kevin’s breathing is a little more even, he pulls back. “I need a drink.”  
“No, you need a bath. We’re going back to Abby’s. Besides, your arms must be killing you.” As Neil rubs Kevin’s bicep, Kevin hisses and pulls away. Neil shoots him a pointed look.

“Fine. But only because it’s you.” Kevin gives him a tired smile.

Neil calls Andrew to come get them. They shower and change while they wait, Neil never more than a few paces away. Kevin moves a little like a zombie, but it’s better than the panic of the morning, or the complete apathy that had settled in the afternoon.

Neil had hoped that Kevin would be happy at Riko finally being put in the ground, but it had dragged up a hundred bad memories instead. They couldn’t even turn on the Exy channels because most were running commentary on the funeral, on Tetsuji, on whatever bits of chaos Evermore had elicited as it fell. They’ll probably watch a match later, but it’ll be an old Trojans game. Neil doesn’t care who the Trojans go against in the video as long as its not the Ravens.

Andrew drops them back off at Abby’s then takes off to the mall with Nicky. Aaron’s out volunteering and Abby’s at work, so they have the house to themselves.

They go to the bathroom silently. Neil draws the water, testing the temperature against the back of his hand. When he finds something warm but not too much, he taps Kevin, asking his opinion. When Kevin nods, he plugs the drain.

The sound of falling water fills the room, raging against the tub. It’s almost therapeutic to watch the turbulence. When the tub gets to be half full, Neil reaches for the bubble bath. The bottle is a thick purple, an overstatement for the lavender smell. Neil strips off his arm bands, then turns to Kevin. He’s sitting on a towel on the closed toilet seat, already naked, leaning over his thighs. He’s looking at Neil.

“Hey,” Neil says softly. “Your bath’s ready.”

Kevin gets up and slips into the bath. He groans, his head falling back. Neil ignores the way his body reacts to the sound, to the _sight_ , because this isn’t about him right now.

They must make quite the scene, Neil on the floor next to the tub, one arm in the water holding onto Kevin’s hand and the other arm pillowing his head against the white resin tub. The steam dampens Neil’s skin, his hair.

“I’m sick of caring about him,” Kevin says, after what feels like seconds and years. The water is still hot, so it can’t have been too long. “He hurt me. But when we were kids… it was us against the world.”

“Things change,” Neil says softly. His own appearance is proof enough of that.

Kevin sighs, then takes a deep breath. He looks at Neil, a smile cracking through the stress of the day. It’s almost like a lotus sprouting from the mud. “Sometimes for the better.”

“Yeah,” Neil says, his heart rate picking up. He leans towards Kevin. Kevin closes the distance, pressing their lips together. It’s chaste, practiced. Neil feels no shame in knowing Kevin this way, in connecting with the man who brought Exy back into his life. They both still have issues, a minefield of bad days and difficult situations. But they’re navigating it, together. “Sometimes they do.”


End file.
